1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a medicine-supplying device capable of supplying medicines of different shapes and sizes, such as tablets and capsules, one by one, and a medicine-counting device equipped with the medicine-supplying device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A supplying device for aligning and supplying small articles has been well known (Refer to Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 1-51403, for example).
The supplying device has a disc-like first rotator rotated by a first driving means and an annular second rotator rotated by a second driving means. A first rotary shaft of the first rotator is disposed to tilt at a predetermined angle, and a second rotary shaft of the second rotator is disposed to vertically extend. The upper end of the tilted first rotator is on the same level as the inner circumference of the second rotator. A frame wall that surrounds the outer circumference of the first rotator is integral with the inner circumference of the second rotator.
In the supplying device thus configured, rotation of the first rotator causes a supplied object to move from the upper end to the second rotator. Then, a restricting body provided on the second rotator allows only a supplied object in a predetermined orientation to pass to the downstream side, and causes a supplied object in other orientations to fall from the inner circumference of the second rotator onto the first rotator. This can prevent collision between supplied objects.
However, when the conventional supplying device is used to supply medicines, two or more supplied medicines may simultaneously pass the restricting body, and be supplied to a guiding part to a discharge port abreast in the radial direction. This disadvantageously generates clogging at an inlet of the guiding part.